My Dotfiles

A comprehensive dotfiles repository for managing configuration files and system packages across multiple machines using GNU Stow.

• My Dotfiles
  • Quick Start
  • Full Machine Restoration
    • Prerequisites
    • Step 1: Clone Repository
    • Step 2: Install Packages
    • Step 3: Apply Dotfiles
    • Step 4: Configure System
  • Managing Dotfiles
    • Adding New Dotfiles
    • Updating Package Lists
    • Syncing Changes
  • Systems
  • Configuration Overview
  • Troubleshooting

Quick Start

If you just want to apply existing configurations:

# Clone the repository
git clone <your-repo-url> ~/workspace/dotfiles
cd ~/workspace/dotfiles

# For Arch Linux (Nickel)
yay -S --needed - < nickel/pkglist.txt
stow -t ~ nickel

# For macOS (Silver)
brew install --force $(cat silver/pkglist.txt)
stow -t ~ silver

Full Machine Restoration

Prerequisites

For Arch Linux:

• Fresh Arch Linux installation
• yay AUR helper installed
• git and stow packages

For macOS:

• macOS Sequoia
• Homebrew installed (if using brew packages)
• stow installed via Homebrew

Step 1: Clone Repository

# Create workspace directory
mkdir -p ~/workspace
cd ~/workspace

# Clone your dotfiles repository
git clone <your-repo-url> dotfiles
cd dotfiles

Step 2: Install Packages

For Nickel (Arch Linux):

# Install all packages from the package list
# The --needed flag skips already installed packages
yay -S --needed - < nickel/pkglist.txt

For Silver (macOS):

# Install all packages from the package list
brew install --force $(cat silver/pkglist.txt)

Step 3: Apply Dotfiles

# Apply configurations for your specific system
# This will create symlinks from your home directory to the dotfiles

# For Nickel (Arch Linux)
stow -t ~ nickel

# For Silver (macOS)
stow -t ~ silver

# To see what would be linked without actually doing it:
# stow -n -t ~ nickel  # dry run

Step 4: Configure System

Post-installation steps:

1. Shell Configuration:

   • Restart your terminal or run source ~/.zshrc
   • Zsh should now use your custom configuration with themes and plugins

2. Hyprland (Nickel only):

   • Your Hyprland window manager configuration will be active
   • Includes custom keybindings, animations, and window rules
   • Waybar, dunst, and other components are pre-configured

3. Neovim:

   • Your Neovim configuration with plugins will be available
   • Run :checkhealth in Neovim to verify everything is working

4. Git:

   • Your Git configuration is automatically applied
   • Verify with git config --list

Managing Dotfiles

Adding New Dotfiles

To add a new configuration file to your dotfiles:

# 1. Move the file to the appropriate system directory
mv ~/.config/new-app/config ~/workspace/dotfiles/nickel/.config/new-app/config

# 2. Create the symlink using stow
cd ~/workspace/dotfiles
stow -t ~ nickel

# 3. Commit the changes
git add .
git commit -m "Add new-app configuration"
git push

Updating Package Lists

When you install new packages, update your package list:

# For Arch Linux (Nickel)
yay -Qqe > nickel/pkglist.txt

# Commit the updated package list
git add nickel/pkglist.txt
git commit -m "Update package list"
git push

Syncing Changes

To sync changes across machines:

# Pull latest changes
git pull

# Re-apply configurations (handles new files)
stow -R -t ~ nickel  # or silver

# Install any new packages
yay -S --needed - < nickel/pkglist.txt  # For Arch Linux
brew install --force $(cat silver/pkglist.txt)  # For macOS

Systems

Nickel

Hardware: ThinkPad T14 Gen 1
OS: Arch Linux
DE/WM: Hyprland
Terminal: Alacritty
Shell: Zsh with custom configuration

Key Components:

• Hyprland window manager with custom animations and workflows
• Waybar status bar with custom styling
• Dunst notification system
• Rofi application launcher
• Neovim with extensive plugin configuration
• Custom Zsh setup with starship prompt

Silver

Hardware: MacBook (Main macOS Laptop) OS: macOS Sequoia Terminal: Ghostty Shell: Zsh

Key Components:

• Neovim configuration optimized for macOS
• tmux configuration
• Git configuration
• Custom Zsh setup
• Package management via Homebrew with pkglist.txt

Configuration Overview

dotfiles/
├── nickel/              # Arch Linux configurations
│   ├── .config/
│   │   ├── hypr/        # Hyprland WM config
│   │   ├── waybar/      # Status bar config
│   │   ├── nvim/        # Neovim configuration
│   │   ├── zsh/         # Zsh configuration
│   │   ├── alacritty/   # Terminal config
│   │   └── dunst/       # Notifications
│   ├── .zshrc           # Main zsh config
│   ├── .gitconfig       # Git configuration
│   ├── .tmux.conf       # tmux configuration
│   └── pkglist.txt      # Arch packages list
├── silver/              # macOS configurations
│   ├── .config/
│   │   ├── nvim/        # Neovim for macOS
│   │   ├── ghostty/     # Terminal config
│   │   └── btop/        # System monitor
│   ├── .zshrc           # Zsh for macOS
│   ├── .gitconfig       # Git config
│   ├── .tmux.conf       # tmux config
│   └── pkglist.txt      # Homebrew packages list
└── README.md            # This file

Troubleshooting

Stow conflicts:

# If stow complains about existing files, backup and remove them:
mv ~/.zshrc ~/.zshrc.backup
stow -t ~ nickel

Permission issues:

# Make sure you own the target directories
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.config

Missing dependencies:

# Verify all packages installed correctly
yay -Qqe | grep -f nickel/pkglist.txt

Git configuration:

# Update git configuration if needed
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"